Device for wiring beehive frames



Aug- 11, `1964 c. F. FELTs, SR

DEVICE FORWIRING'BEEHIVE FRAMES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 13, v1962INVENTOR CARL F FE LTSR ATTORNEY C. F. FELTS, SR

DEVICE FOR WIRING BEEHIVE FRAMES Aug. 11, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledSepb. 15, 1962 Aug. 11, 1964 Filed Sept. 13, 1962 C. F. FELTS, SR

DEVICE FOR WIRING BEEHIVE FRAMES 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Alllllllllrlw F FBLTS,5R,

ATTORNEY IN VENTOR Aug. 11, 1964 c. F. FELTS, SR

A DEvcE FOR WIRING BEEHI-VE FRAMES Filed Sept. 13, 1962 4 4Sheets--Shee4 `FP1-Cla.

INV ENTOR CARL F FELTsR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,144,053 DEVICE FOR WIRING BEEHIVEFRAMES Carl F. Felts, Sr., Forest City, Fla. (Rte. 2, Box 568, Maitland,Fia.) i Filed Sept'. 13, 1962, Ser. No. 223,383 14 Claims. (Cl. 14d-93)This invention relates broadly to the bee culture art,

and more particularly to improvements in devices for` wiring beehivehoneycomb frames and to an improved wire clip for said frames. Theframes are usually of the `type having upper and lower horizontal barsconnecfed together at opposite ends by a pair of spaced vertical endbars which, in turn, generally have a plurality of transverse, spaced,small holes therethrough for the passage of a strand of wire which isused to support an artificial honeycomb base sheet in the frame.

The aforementioned type of honeycomb frames, which are presently inwidespread use and which have become available in various sizes, areoften wired or strung by a continuous strand of wire which is requiredto be threaded through the aforementioned openings in the usual woodenend bars, and trained back andforth in a generally parallel mannerbetween the upper and lower bars of the frame. Inasmuch as this strandof wire is necessarily drawn rather taut iniorder to give proper supportto the honeycomb base sheet, the wire which is usually of a line gaugeeventually cuts or becomes embedded in the comparatively soft woodmaterial of the end bars, thus with a resultant sagging or loosening ofthe wires and thereby requiring unduly frequent tightening thereof.

Therefore, it is a general object of my invention to provide a` novellyimproved, easily operable and relatively inexpensive `device for wiringsaid frames, whereby novel means are provided to greatly facilitate andexpedite said wiring in a manner achieving the optimum stressing ortensioning of the wire strand whereby any potential sagging of the wireis substantially obviated.

More specifically, it is a primary object of this invention to providean improved wiring device of the aforementioned type, having means foreffecting a predetermined and substantially uniform convex flexing ofthe end bars of the frames while the wiring is being performed,whereupon release of said flexing means will automatically placesaidwire and frame under the desired optimum tension.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved wiring deviceaccording to the preceding objectives, embodying novel adjustment meanswhereby honeycomb frames of varying height sizes may be tensioned, eachwith the proper predetermined amount of flexing during Stringingthereof, thus, obviating the risk of overfiexing and resultant crackingand/or breaking of said frames.

A` further object of the invention is to provide a wiring device of theaforementioned character which is readily adaptable to be operated byeither right-handed or lefthanded operators.

Stilll another object is to provide an improved honeycomb or brood frameof the aforementioned general type which `utilizes a plurality of noveldual-hool ed wire clips which are removably insertable through preformedspaced apertures provided in the opposed end bars of the frames, thusobviating the necessity of threading a comb-foundationisupporting wirethrough said apertures, which heretoforeoften has been a commonpractice.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved wiringdevice andiassociated frames according to the preceding objectives,wherein said wiring devices embody novel structuralmeans forsimultaneously effecting` both a predetermined convex flexing of the endframe members, as aforesaid, and for firmly positioning the respectivedual-hooked wire clips in their correct and 3,144,053 Patented Aug. 11,19614:A

f. ICC

most effective places, thereby facilitating more efficient andexpeditious wiring of said frames by relatively unskilled workers.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will behereinafter described or will become more apparent from a study of thefollowing detailed description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, and the novel features thereof will be defined inthe appended claims.

in the drawings:

FlG. l is a top plan view illustrative of my improved adjustable wiringdevice shown in a non-operative condition;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the invention shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the invention shown in FIGS. l and 2 asviewed from the left-hand side thereof;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged top plan view of my invention, similar to FIG. lbut showing the device in an operative condition in conjunction with afull size honeycomb frame;

FlG. 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the device as shown inFIG. 4 as viewed substantially on the line 5-5 thereof;

FIG. 6 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the device as taken online 6 6 of FIG. 4;

FlG. 7 is a transverse cross-sectionalview corresponding generally tothat of FIG. 6 but relative to a mediumsized honeycomb frame having ashorter transverse depth or height than that shown `in FIG. 6;

Pi. 8 is` an enlarged fragmentary plan View, shown on the same relativescale asthat of FIG. 4, of my wiring device, and shown in operation withyet a smaller sized` honeycomb frame; and shown with the cover plateremoved for better clarity of the adjustment components;

FIG. 9 is a transverse cross-sectional View similar to FIGS. 6 and 7 butshown as taken substantially on line 9 9 of FlG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional detail view of thewire tensioning means;

FIG. 1l is an enlarged perspective view of atypical honeycomb or broodframe shown embodying my novel dual-hooked wire clips for expeditingwiring of said frames;

FIG. l2 is an enlarged perspective View illustrative of one of my noveldual-hooked clips; and

FlG. 13 is a cross-sectional detail view as taken on line ll-ll of FlG.l2, and shown iii-conjunction with the phantom outlined apertured sideof a honeycomb frame,

Referring to the illustrative drawings, `the present form of theinvention or wiring machine is designated generally at M and broadlycomprises a base or relatively xed supporting bed B including noveladjustment means A and adaptable for releasably supporting any one of aselective group of different sized honeycomb or brood frames designatedgenerally at F. The frames F are inwardly compressed or bowed in bynovel camrning means C, carried by the base B, at their opposite ends orsides a predetermined amount` according `to the given size of framebeing worked upon as afforded by the adjustment means A aforesaid,whereupon the frame F is then releasably conditioned for wiring by thewirey and wire spoolV supporting and tensioning meansdesignatedgenerally at W, Said means W also being pivotally andremovably carried by the base B.

Referring more specifically to the structural details as shown in thedrawings, the base or bed B is of generally rectangular form having arelatively fixed supporting bed member lil which is shown disposedgenerallyhorizontally although slightly canted downward toward theoperator relative to a supporting surface 11. The bed member 10, whichmay also be constructed parallel to surface 11 if desired, is held inits xed attitude slightly above the surface 11 by a box-like frameworkhaving spaced parallel front and rear longitudinal wall members 12 and13, respectively, and spaced parallel end members 14 and 15. A pluralityof rubber or other suitable anti-skid members 16 are preferably providedat the four corners of the device to give it more stability duringoperational use. The end members 14 and 15, the front member 12 andanother rearwardly disposed longitudinal member 17, the latter of whichis secured on top of member intermediate the ends 14 and 15, and inspaced parallel relation to member 12 as shown, all extend upwardlyabove the surface of member 10 preferably to an extent equallingsubstantially the overall depth thickness of the frames F. Thelongitudinal members 12 and 17 deiine the front and back frame-holdingor orienting wall members while the end frame-holding and orientingmembers comprising the adjustment means A and camming means C areadjustably and yieldably mounted as will be described in detailhereinafter. The rearward longitudinal frame orienting member 17 ispreferably provided medially thereof with a notched or cutout portion 18to better facilitate pickup and removal of the frame F by the fingers ofthe operator.

The bed member 10 is further provided with a raised boss-like shelf area19 (FIGS. l, 4, 6, 7 and 9) to support the narrow bottom bar of atypical beehive frame F, to be described in the following.

A typical frame F, as illustrated in FIG. 11, comprises a relativelyrigid longitudinal top bar 2() having a longitudinally extended slot 21(see FIGS. 6, 7 and 9) along its innermost side for receiving a comb,not shown, and a relatively flexible and less deep or narrower bottombar 22, said bars and 22 being joined together by a pair of identical,stepped, and relatively flexible opposed end or side bars 23 and 24. Theframe F is suspended within a beehive by means of the top bar and theprojecting ends 20a and 20b thereof. The side bars 23 and 24 areprovided with usually uniformly spaced and oppositely aligned apertures25 through which a comb supporting wire is often threaded in parallelformation and secured to either of the end bars. However, as an improvedadjunct to the overall invention yet to be fully described, I havedevised a novel wire clip 26 fabricated of a short length of wire orother suitable material of substantially heavier gauge than the wire tobe used to support the comb, so as to preclude any substantial cuttingor wearing of the clips body into the body material of the side or endbars 22 and 24 after assembly therewith. The clip 26 has both ends ofits wire body terminating in small dual hooks or catches 27, 27 whichare preformed a predetermined distance apart corresponding to thedistance between adjacent spaced holes 25, and are of a size smallenough to readily permit their insertion through said holes 25, in themanner illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The said hooks 27preferably face or open upwardly toward the operator to betterfacilitate the hooking thereover of threading wire 28 during use of myimproved wiring device or machine M.

Continuing with the detailed description of the wiring machine M, theadjustment means A, which selectively provides the predeterminedinwardly directed bowing or compressing of the lefthand side or end ofthe frame F, comprises an adjustable pressure pad or block 29 disposedin a pivotally slidable manner upon bed member 10 at the left-hand endthereof, as illustrated in the drawings, and as better seen in FIGS. l,4 and 8. The block 29 is of a size to t between walls 12 and 17 andadjacent wall 14 in any given pivotal position and is provided with alarge arcuate edge 30 having a notched corner 31`to loosely receive end20a of frame bar 20, said edge 30 being adaptable to complementallycompress or bow the' adjacently disposed side bar 23 of a given sizeframe F when the latter is forced thereagainst responsive to the cammingor compression means C, to be described in detail hereinafter. Areleasable mounting bolt 32 serves as the pivot point about which theblock 29 has limited adjustable movement, while a second releasablemounting bolt 33 cooperates with a slot 34 provided in block 29. Thedesired setting of the block 29 is achieved by moving said block 29 toone of the selective predetermined indicia settings indicated at 35, 36or 37 corresponding to a particular size frame F to be wired. Forexample, to achieve the proper preflexing, bowing or camming of thelargest size frame, the block 29 is positioned so that the lowermostpoint of the arcuate edge 30 aligns with the notch or indicia settingdesignated 37, whereas when block 29 is correspondingly aligned insimilar fashion to indicia mark 36, or to indicia mark 35, then thesettings would accommodate an intermediate size frame or a still smallersize frame, respectively, as better illustrated in FIGS. 4, 6, 7, 8 and9. After the block 29 has been appropriately set, the mounting bolts 32and 33 are tightened by means of an appropriate tool 38, shown as anAllen wrench in FIG. 3, said bolts having threaded shank ends fortightening within a complementally tapped anchor plate 39 carriedbeneath the bed member 10, or within complemental nuts (not shown)disposed in bearing relatiouship against said plate 39. A dust cover 40may be screwed or otherwise removably attached to members 12, 14 and 17,as shown better in FIGS. l-S, to overlay the block 29, to preclude theaccumulation of dust or other foreign articles behind said movablepressure pad or block 29, as well as to give the device a betteraesthetic appearance.

The compressing or camming means C, which is disposed at the oppositeend of the machine M from that of the adjustment means A aforesaid, isalso preferably protected with removable cover plate 41 which protectsthe moving parts and enhances the looks of the device.

The camming or compression means C is sldably supported on base member10 and comprises a two-piece yieldably mounted block assembly includingan arcuate pressure pad or frame-bowing block 42 which is looselyattached at its midpoint by a connecting pin or screw 43 to anadjacently disposed slidable parent block 44. Pad 42 is furtheryieldably connected or aligned on each side of the pin 43, andpreferably near opposite ends of pad 42 with block 44, by means of apair of compression springs 45, 45 (FIG. 4) disposed withinappropriately aligned recesses and 44. The compression springs 45, 45normally hold the block or pad 42 in spaced apart relation to the block44, as indicated at 46 in FIG. l, and permits yieldable movement aboutpin 43 of the curved pressure pad 42 to take up any inadvertant minorvariation in the length of the various frames F, responsive to thesliding compressible movement effected by a counter clockwise rotationof the handle 48 about pivot pin 48 of the camming member 49, the latterof which bears against block 44, as best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5. Thismounting also affords a canting or lateral tipping action by thepressure pad 42 according to the particular curvature imparted to theside bar 24 by the curved edge 50, depending upon the overall height ofthe particular size frame F being wired. A notch 51, similar to notch31, is also provided at the upper end of the curved edge 5t) to receivethe end Ztlb of frame bar 20. When a' full or largest size of frame F isbeing used as deplcted in FIG. 4, there is no appreciable canting eifectof pad 42 because the curvature is` substantially uniformly distributedthroughout the overall height thereof. It is to be noted that bothpressure pads 29 and 42 have substantially the same but oppositecurvatures provided on their opposing edges. Therefore, the said cantingeffect would take place when frames of the smaller two sizes are beingworked upon. Furthermore, when the smaller sized frames are being wired,suitable spacer blocks SB of predetermined size, correformed in bothblocks 42' sponding to the needs of the particular size frame, arepositioned between lowermost bar 22 of the frame and wall member 12 ofthe base B, as shown in FIG. 8, with their ends preferably adapted tobear against the pressure pads, thereby producing a balanced pressure onthe yieldable pressure pad 42 responsive to block SB abutting againstthe other pressure pad 29.

While a pair of combined hold-down and guide pins 52, 52 are shownaffixed to the bed member 10 (FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6) in conjunctionwith corresponding guide slots 53, 53 provided in the block 44, fordirecting stabilized movement of block 44, it is to be understood thatthe block 44 may be of such dimensions as to slidably fit and be guidedbetween front wall member 12 and rearward wall member 17, with the coverplate 41 serving as a suitable hold-down component for theaforementioned elements during operation, without the need of said pinsand slots.

A U.-shaped block member 54 is mounted on top of the bed member adjacentthe end wall member 15 and secured in any suitable manner, as by a pairof mounting screws or bolts 55, 55 extending through the block 54, thebed member 1i) and a tightening plate 56, similar to plate 39 describedherein above. Alternately, the block 54 could be made integral with baseor bed member 10 if desired. The open part of the U-shaped block ispositioned over a similar opening or slot S provided in the bed member10 (FIG. 5) to accommodate the pivotal mounting therein of the cammingmember 49, upon the pivot pin 48, which is shown supported by theopposed legs of the U-shaped block 54. An elongated clamping boltassembly 57, as shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, may be used if desired toreenforce the block 54 to preclude any possibility of splitting orbreaking, said bolt having ends thereof extending to form a pair ofanchor pins 58, 58 to which one end of each of a pair of recoil orreturn springs 59, 59 are respectively attached and extended undertension toward block 44 so that their other ends, respectively areattached to said block 44, as by pins 60, 6i). Thus, it is apparent thatsaid return springs normally maintain or bias the block 44, and itsattached pressure pad 42, to their normally inoperative positions, withblock 44 resting against the spaced feet.61, 61 of block 54 (FIGS. 1 and4). In this inoperative position, the face of the camming member 49rests only lightly against the adjacent edge of block 44, with thecamming member handle 47 disposed in an upright manner.

When it is desired to commence a wiring operation of a frame using thisdevice, a frame containing the wire clips 26 is merely placed upon thefixed bed member in the manner shown, with the end bars 23 and 24resting upon the bed member 10 and with the bottom bar 22 supported onthe raised shelf area 19, to maintain it in the proper attitude. Next,the handle 47 is rotated by the operator in a counter-clockwisedirection thereby elfecting rotation of the cam 49 about the pivot 48,thus shiftably sliding the block 44 and the curved pressure pad 42 andframe F, as shown in FIG. 4, all over to the left side against the otherpre-set curved pressure pad 29. Thus, the resultant uniform inwardlycompressing or bowing of the side bars of the frame effects theirconforming to the correct predetermined curvatures of the opposedpressure pads 29 and 42, and thereby properly conditions and prestressesthe frame for the next step of actual wiring. It is to be noted that thesaid pressure pads also serve to` more positively seat the dual-hookedwire slips tightly and rmly in place in the end bars of the frames sothat the heads or major parts of the upwardly opening hooks 27, 27 aresuliciently exposed to the wiring operator, thereby expediting thewiring and hooking of the strand of wire 2S upon the same.

The. wiring means W are pivotally and removably disposed for selectiveinterchangeable mounting at either of preferably two spaced standardmounting bases 62 or 62a located upon the longitudinal rearward edge ofthe bed member 1t), thereby facilitating more efcient operation bypermitting operation by either righthanded or left-handed operators. Thewire 28 is stored upon and manually pulled from a generous size wiresupply spool 63, such as a live pound spool of fine gauge piano Wire.The supply spool 63, which is also mounted for retardable rotationintermediate a pair of springbiased arms 64a, 64a of a bifurcatedwire-feeding nozzle 64 having adjustable wire-tensioning means 65, ispreferably mounted upon a horizontally disposed bolt-andwing-nut shaftassembly 66 which, in turn, spans and is carried by a pair of spaced,semi-llexiblle, apertured arms 67, 67 of an upright standard member 68.The standard 63 has a limited pivotal or rotatable movement ofapproximately 90 about its vertical axis when telescopically mountedupon either of the standard mounting bases 62 or 62a, as provided by thecomplementary` action of an arcuate notch 69 which extends laterallyabout the vertical axis along a portion of the lower periphery thereof,and whose opposite sides are adaptable for abutting engagement with anupright abutment 70 provided on the peripheral edge of each complementalmounting bases 62 or 62a, respectively. It is to be understood that asimilar mounting could be achieved by having the shaft of the standard68 fit down into either of a pair of complemental shaft bearing recessesor wells provided in bed member 10 at approximately the same aforesaidlocations.

The wire-tensioning means 65 maintains a predetermined tension on theWireat all times and precludes undue wire slack from developing in thewired portion of the frame. The wire-tensioning means 65, as illustratedin detail in FIG. ll), is disposed preferably within a recess formed inthe nozzle 64, and comprises supporting means 71 for a pair of tensiondiscs 72, '72, a yieldable tensioning means or spring 73 and anadjusting nut '74, all of which are substantially concentrically mountedup a wireguiding-and-tensioning mounting bolt 75. The bolt 75 isdisposed transversely across the diameter of the hollow nozzle 64 andmay be either permanently attached as by welding (not shown) or may beremovably attached by means of the nut-and-washer assembly 76. Further,the bolt 7 5 is provided with a slot 77 which is aligned longitudinallywith the barrel of the nozzle 64 to accommodate passage of the Stringingwire 28 which lies freely within said slot and between the tension cups72, 72. A wiping packing 78, such as a piece of felt or other suitablematerial, is also preferably disposed within the nozzle 64, as shown inFIG. l0, to efect removal of any grease, dirt or other impurities whichmay be thereon, as the wire is pulled from the spool 63 during use.

Also, as previously mentioned, the supply spool of wire 63 is mountedfor retardable rotation to preclude any whip-lash of the wire 28 duringfeeding therefrom. Adjustment for effecting the proper retardingtensionthereof is effected by turning the wing nut 79 (FIG. l) to either applyor release tension on the spool 63 through the` spring biased arms 64a,64a of said nozzle 64 and through the semi-flexible arms 67, 67 ofstandard 68.

Therefore, when a right-handed operator is using my invention, the wireand wire supporting means W is placed at the right-hand location 62, asshown in FIGS. l, 2 and 4 of the drawings. The wire Z8 is pulled `outenough to initially enable the operator to loop and twist or other- Wisesecure the, end of the wire to the uppermost hook inthe left-hand cornerof the frame as clearly shown at E@ in FIG. 4. Next, the wire is readilystrung back and forth over the hooks 27 of the novel clips 26` inparallel fashion -as shown in FIG. 4, with the nozzle 64 and wire supplyspool 63 freely pivoting back and forth following the Stringing movementof the operators hands, it being understood that the frame F is -already`in the pre-flexed or pre-stressed condition. The base member 1Q ispreferably provided with cutout finger-working areas 8i, 81 adjacent thepressure pad areas and beneath the wire hook areas to facilitate freerand quicker attachment of the wire 28 upon the hooks 27 during thiswiring operation.

When the frame F is completely laced or strung, except for the lasthook, the wire 28 is preferably cut by a pair of wire cutters or pliers82, shown in dotted outline in FIG. 2, said pliers 82 also being used tohelp initially twist or secure the wire to the first hook at 84);whereupon the pliers may again be used to aid in the securing of the cutend of the wire to the last hook of the frame. Two pliers brackets 83,83 are disposed at opposite ends of the machine frame as seen in FIG. 2,to be used to hold the pliers or cutters 82 in the most convenientlocation for either a left-handed or right-handed operator. Similarly,the wiring means W may be readily placed at the lefthand side of themachine to accommodate left-handed operators, thereby increasing theutility of the device. v Upon securement of the wire 28 to the last hook27, it being understood that it is only necessary for the wire to havebeen pulled by hand up to a fairly taut but not a completely tautcondition, the operator then rotates the handle 47 in a clockwisedirection to release the camming pressure on the pressure pads 42 and29, whereby the resilient end bars strive to return to their normalnonexed condition, thus automatically tensioning the strand of wire tothe predetermined degree of tautness. Removel of the finished wire frameF from the bed 10 of the base B is facilitated by the cutout area 18 inthe longitudinal member 17 as described hereinabove, thus readilyclearing the machine for commencement of the cycle over again with a newframe.

Reference to FIG. 8v will disclose that in the course of wiring thesmallest size frame by use of my invention, it is necessary that onehook 27 of each of the adjacently disposed wire clips 26 share a commonaperture Z5, thereby giving more universal usage of my novel clips inconjunction with all of the various size frames F. This is desirable inorder to preferably maintain the uniform spacing of the paralleldisposed wire strands, inasmuch as the basic frame structures aregenerally provided to the trade with the uniformly spaced apertures inthe side bars thereof.

Accordingly, it is apparent from the foregoing description of thecombined structural and operational details and characteristics, thatthis invention achieves all of the objects and advantages thereof asstated in the preamble of this specification.

While specic details of a preferred embodiment have been herein shownand described, the invention is not confined thereto as various changesand alterations may be made without departing from the spirit and scopethereof as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A device of the character described for wiring different size beehiveframes comprising:

(a) a frame-supporting base adaptable to orient and receive any one of agiven size range of beehive frame or the like having semi-flexible,spaced end frame bars,

(b) adjustment means carried near one end of said base and adaptable forselectively receiving and bowing end bars of frames of varying sizes,

(c) camming means carried on said base near the end opposite saidadjustment means,

(d) said camming means and adjustment means being operatively co-relatedfor effecting a substantially uniform, predetermined bowing of said endframe bars inwardly toward each other for facilitating theinterconnection of the bowed end bars with strands of wire or the like.

2. A device for wiring beehive frames as defined in claim 1 wherein theadjustment means includes (a) a movable pressure pad adapted to belocked in one of a plurality of predetermined settings corresponding togiven size frame for effecting the in- .a ward bowing pressure uniformlyalong the middle portion of one of the end bars of any selected sizeframe, and Y (b) locking means for releasably locking said pressure 5pad in its predetermined setting.

3. A device for wiring beehive frames as defined in claim l, wherein theadjustment means includes (a) a pivotal pressure pad having an arcuateedge disposed to lay substantially in the medial plane of a beehiveframe and adjacent to one end bar thereof when it is being wired,

(b) indicia means on said base adjacent one end of said pressure pad andconstituting predetermined settings for different size frames, and

(c) locking means for releasably locking said pressure pad in apredetermined setting corresponding to the selected size frame.

4. A device of the character described for wiring different size beehiveframes comprising:

(a) a frame-supporting base adaptable to receive any of a given sizerange beehive frame having semiiieXible, spaced end frame bars providedwith spaced hook means therein,

(b) adjustment means carried at one end of said base and including apre-settable pressure pad adaptable to engage one end bar of the frame,and

(c) camming means carried at the other end of said base and includingsecond pressure pad means adaptable to engage the other end bar of saidframe,

(d) said adjustment means and said camming means disposed relative toeach other and adaptable to etect a uniform medial and predeterminedinward bowing of said end frame bars toward each other for facilitatingwired interconnection with the hook means of the bowed end frame bars.

5. A device for wiring beehive frames as dened in claim 4, wherein thecamming means comprises:

(a) an eccentric curvilinear camming block having a handle projecting upfrom one side thereof, and (b) said camming block being pivotallymounted on said base for manual operation and operatively disposedadjacent the second pressure pad means for operative engagementthereagainst.

6. A device for wiring beehive frames as defined in claim 4, wherein thecamming means comprises:

(d) an eccentric curvilinear camming block having an operating handleprojecting from one side,

(b) said camming block being pivotally mounted on said base for manualoperation and operatively disposed adjacent the second associatedpressure pad means for operative engagement thereagainst, and

(c) said latter pressure pad means including a composite pressure padhaving means to resiliently bias said pad to a normally non-operativecondition. 7. A `device for wiring beehive frames as dened in claim 4,wherein the camming means comprises:

(a) an eccentric curvilinear camming block having an operating handleprojecting from one side,

(b) said camming block being pivotally mounted on said base for manualoperation and operatively disposed adjacent the second associatedpressure pad means for operative engagement thereagainst,

(c) said latter pressure pad means including a composite pressure padhaving means to resiliently bias said pad to a normally non-operativecondition, and

(d) said composite pad further comprising a yieldablymounted forward padadaptable to directly engage one side bar of the frame, and a rearwardadjacently disposed parent pad which is loosely interconnected to saidforward pad, and

(e) said pressure pads being yieldably movable as a yunit responsive tocamming rotation of said camming block.

V8. A device for wiring beehive frames as defined in claim 4, whereinthe base is provided with selective wire.- supply mounting means nearopposite ends of the base,

and wiring means carried by said base and adapted to be selectively andremovably mounted on said mounting means, thereby better facilitatinguse by both right-hand and left-hand operators.

9. A device for wiring beehive frames as defined in claim 8, wherein thewiring means comprises (a) a supply spool of wire or similar Stringingmaterial mounted for retardable rotation,

(b) a spool-carrying standard provided with a pair of spaced-apart,semi-resilient carrying arms having a spool-carrying shaft supported onsaid arms,

(c) resilient means carried on said shaft adjacent each end of thesupply spool and intermediate said carrying arms, and

(d) adjustment means on the shaft for effecting adjustable retardabletension on the supply spool.

10. A device for wiring beehive frames as defined in claim 9, whereinsaid base and spool-carrying standard are provided with cooperativemeans to facilitate limited pivotal rotation of said standard about asubstantially vertical axis.

11. A device for wiring beehive frames as defined in claim 9, whereinthe wiring means further includes (a) a wire feed nozzle,

(b) said nozzle being bifurcated at one end to provide a pair ofsemi-yieldable mounting arms adapted to straddle the supply spool andmovably mounted on said spool shaft for rotation thereabout, and

(c) said nozzle having a tubular shank at its other end through whichthe wire is fed during the wiring operation.

12, A device for wiring beehive frames as defined in claim 9, whereinthe wiring means further includes (a) a wire feed nozzle,

(b) said nozzle being bifurcated at one end to provide a pair ofsemi-yieldable mounting arms adapted to straddle the supply spool andmovably mounted on said spool shaft for rotation thereabout.

(c) said nozzle having a tubular shank at its other end through whichthe wire is fed during the wiring operation, and

(d) adjustable wire-tensioning means disposed on the shank of saidnozzle for maintaining tension on the wire and precluding the formationof undue slack in the wired portion of the frame at any given timeduring the wiring operation.

13. A device of the character described for pre-stress Wiring ofdifferent size beehive frames of generally rectangular configurationhaving semi-flexible, spaced end frame bars interconnecting top andbottom frame bars, comprising:

(a) a frame-supporting base;

(b) means on said base for intially orienting any one of a given sizerange of beehive frames thereon;

(c) a pair of spaced-apart pressure pads movably mounted upon said baseand adaptable to help prestress any one of said frames by cooperativelyeffecting uniform bowing of the opposite end frame bars inwardly towardeach other;

(d) camming means disposed adjacent. one of said pressure pads on saidbase and adaptable to slidably move and hold said adjacently disposedpressure pad in a releasable predetermined condition to help prestress aframe as aforesaid; and

(e) wiring means for interconnecting the inwardly bowed side bars of theframe in a manner whereupon the release of the the aforesaid cammingmeans will effect a predetermined stressing of the wired frame.

14. A device for wiring beehive frames: as defined in claim 13, whereinsaid pressure pads are each provided with an elongate arcuate surfacedisposed in opposed re lation to one another and are disposed to laysubstan tially in the medial plane of a frame to be Wired when thelatter is laid upon said base.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 639,521Carpenter Dec. 19, 1899 1,191,052 Wright July 11, 1916 1,486,809 StarrMar. 1l, 1924 1,878,746 Wolkow Sept. 20, 1932 2,708,462 Frear May 17,1955 2,836,287 Cady May 27, 1958

1. A DEVICE OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED FOR WIRING DIFFERENT SIZE BEEHIVEFRAMES COMPRISING: (A) A FRAME-SUPPORTING BASE ADAPTABLE TO ORIENT ANDRECEIVE ANY ONE OF A GIVEN SIZE RANGE OF BEEHIVE FRAME OR THE LIKEHAVING SEMI-FLEXIBLE, SPACED END FRAME BARS, (B) ADJUSTMENT MEANSCARRIED NEAR ONE END OF SAID BASE AND ADAPTABLE FOR SELECTIVELYRECEIVING AND BOWING END BARS OF FRAMES OF VARYING SIZES, (C) CAMMINGMEANS CARRIED ON SAID BASE NEAR THE END OPPOSITE SAID ADJUSTMENT MEANS,(D) SAID CAMMING MEANS AND ADJUSTMENT MEANS BEING OPERATIVELY CO-RELATEDFOR EFFECTING A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM, PREDETERMINED BOWING OF SAID ENDFRAME BARS INWARDLY TOWARD EACH OTHER FOR FACILITATING THEINTERCONNECTION OF THE BOWED END BARS WITH STRANDS OF WIRE OR THE LIKE.